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Borders, Olympics good for each other

The Lake Wales native and Rays minor-leaguer - "Grandpa'' to teammates - inspires the younger players and enjoys what the experience is giving him.

By JOHN ROMANO

© St. Petersburg Times, published September 20, 2000

BLACKTOWN, Australia -- This was his moment. The Olympic experience come to life. It was a shot off the leftfield wall against South Africa, and it left Pat Borders on second base with a double.

His eyes were wide, and his mind was open, ready to soak in all that was around him. That was when he heard the shouts from the U.S. dugout. Few at first, then growing in number.

"They were laughing and yelling at me out on second base," Borders said. "The pitcher tried to pick me off, and they started yelling at him: "A 40-year-old man isn't going to steal. Leave the old man alone.' "

He does not look like an old man. He isn't even 40; he's barely 37. They call him Grandpa on the U.S. team, but that is an exaggeration. Father, maybe. But not Grandpa.

The Lake Wales native is major-league baseball's antidote for professionals in the Olympics. While teams such as Cuba and Japan send some of their nation's best, the United States uses minor-leaguers because the major-league season is in full swing. That is where Borders comes in.

An owner of two World Series rings, obtained with Toronto in the mid 1990s, Borders spent the summer playing for the Devil Rays' Triple-A team in Durham. When the time came for the United States to name an Olympic team, it was decided that a 20-year-old phenom such as Sean Burroughs could benefit from having a veteran such as Borders in and around the dugout and the athletes village.

"Pat is like their daddy," U.S. manager Tommy Lasorda said. "He's got that leadership ability in him that we were looking for."

And so Borders is here in Sydney, sharing a bedroom with Minnesota minor-leaguer Doug Mientkiewicz in a house with a dozen or so other players. The bathrooms are crowded, the card games go deep into the night, and the entire experience has a frat house feel to it.

He has little in common with most of his housemates other than dreams that seem to run parallel. His housemates want to grow up to be like him, and he wants to wake up and feel as young as them, one last time.

Borders went to spring training with the Rays knowing his chance of making the major-league team hinged on whether John Flaherty or Mike DiFelice was traded or injured. Neither happened, and for the first time since 1987, he did not play a day in the majors. Yet, he has no cross words for a career path that has taken him from Ritz Carlton hotels and charter jets to snoring roommates and long bus rides.

Back in spring training, Borders said it was important to him for his children to have the opportunity to see him play and be old enough to remember it. They are watching him now -- his two sons and three daughters -- and these two weeks of games against largely anonymous opponents could mean as much to his family as the 12 major-league seasons that preceded them.

When he was invited to join the Olympic team, he talked to his wife, Kathy, about the prospect of spending nearly a month away from home. She insisted he do it. So did his parents when he asked for their input.

"My kids are more fired up about this than anything I've done," Borders said. "I told my daughter I went and saw gymnastics the other night -- she's into gymnastics back home -- and she thought it was the greatest thing in the world. I think the kids are enjoying this more than anything I've done."

Borders seems inclined to give pro baseball another shot when spring training rolls around in five months. Although he spent the entire season at Triple A, he had more playing time than he had had in years. He hit a dozen homers and drove in nearly 60 runs.

His contract with the Devil Rays expires at the end of October, and though he says the organization has treated him well, he likely will go in search of a veteran team that would value the services of a veteran backup.

"The past couple of years, everyone kept asking me, "How long are you going to play?' I started wondering, "Geez, am I getting that old?' But my body responded so well this year. I don't have any aches or pains," Borders said. "So I'll take another crack. At least until my wife ... or my body tells me to quit."

His teammates see no reason for him to step aside. Bobby Seay, a 22-year-old Devil Rays prospect also on the Olympic team, said he has a hard time comprehending the enthusiasm Borders has retained.

"It takes a special person to do what he is doing," Seay said. "It's not money or anything like that. He just loves the game. He could have walked away a long time ago, but this is something he wanted to do. And I'm sure he's happy doing it. It's fun for us to watch him."

Seay had just celebrated his fourth birthday when Borders signed his first pro contract, with Toronto in 1982. Eighteen years later, they are partners in a shared endeavor.

The old man and the Seay.

That sounds like a heck of a story.

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